Zhou Xiangyu glanced back inadvertently and met the gaze of Lin Ranran, who was leisurely trailing behind the crowd heading to the cafeteria.
Even though she quickly and haughtily averted her eyes, Zhou Xiangyu could still confirm that the lofty school belle had just looked their way.
Zhou Xiangyu felt a bit puzzled.
The look Lin Ranran had just given him was a bit strange!
What word could describe that look… jealousy!
Yes, that’s it—jealousy!
Having found the perfect adjective, Zhou Xiangyu was dumbfounded.
Lin Ranran was jealous of him?
Jealous that he was taller than her and in excellent health?
Definitely not.
Zhou Xiangyu looked blankly at Gu Chenshi walking on his left, and a sudden flash of insight struck him, fueled by countless idol dramas he’d watched with his mom!
Was Lin Ranran jealous that he could stand beside Gu Chenshi, laughing and chatting with him?
Impossible, right?
Zhou Xiangyu was startled by his own speculation.
School Belle Lin was used to being the center of attention, treating everyone as if they were fleeting clouds. She always held herself aloft. Even when his good friend had practically offered her his heart on a platter, she never showed him even a hint of gentleness.
Zhou Xiangyu shook his head, dismissing the speculation that felt like the truth. He thought to himself, Thank goodness I only love games. Trying to figure out what women are thinking every day would be exhausting!
“Chenshi, do you really not have even a tiny bit of lingering feelings for Lin Ranran?”
To just stop pursuing her like that—could he really be so resolute?
Gu Chenshi replied, “If you’re really my brother, don’t ask such pointless questions again.”
Zhou Xiangyu’s eyes lit up.
He and Gu Chenshi had been classmates since middle school, and their pure brotherly bond had carried over into high school. He knew Gu Chenshi well.
Once Gu Chenshi set his mind on something, he would follow through with action.
For example, when he decided to pursue Lin Ranran, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to her.
Now that he wanted to set aside romantic feelings and focus on studying, he could do that just as resolutely.
Gu Chenshi was truly a man of his word!
Surprisingly, Zhou Xiangyu was the happiest about Gu Chenshi breaking free from the sea of love.
Because now he’d have someone to play games with again.
Gu Chenshi shot him a disdainful look. “Dream on. I’m going to study hard and improve every day.”
With that one sentence, Zhou Xiangyu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him.
He had originally planned to drag Gu Chenshi down with him, so that if he ever got caught by his mom, he could bring his good friend along to share the misery.
Zhou Xiangyu grumbled, “What’s so important about studying compared to gaming?”
Gu Chenshi asked, “Aren’t you afraid of doing poorly on exams?”
Zhou Xiangyu scratched his head. “Whether I do well or not depends on fate. But my parents have high expectations of me. If I don’t do well, I’ll probably get a good beating. Ugh, it’s worrying.”
“Starting today, let’s work hard together?” Gu Chenshi said earnestly.
Zhou Xiangyu shook his head. “No, you go ahead. I’m too young to risk sudden death from overwork.”
Gu Chenshi sneered. “Then when you’re about to get beaten, be sure to let me know in advance.”
Zhou Xiangyu was moved. “Good brother! If you step in, I might get hit less. My parents would probably give you some face.”
“No, I’ll bring a small stool to cheer your parents on,” Gu Chenshi calmly finished his sentence.
Zhou Xiangyu: “…”
“Damn, Old Gu, can we still be brothers after this? Let’s break up—today!”
The two of them burst into playful banter.
Lin Ranran watched the two carefree boys laughing and joking ahead, feeling a sour pang in her heart.
She had been angry since last night, and even now, Gu Chenshi hadn’t bothered to comfort her. Instead, he was happily fooling around with his friend?
He was too much!
“Hey, Ranran, why did you stop?” Jing Shu asked, halting as well when she saw Lin Ranran pause.
Lin Ranran bit her lower lip, stamped her foot, and tossed out, “I’m not hungry anymore,” before turning to walk back the way they came.
Jing Shu was bewildered. “Hey—”
She stared blankly at Lin Ranran’s furious retreating figure, then turned to look at the two boys still horsing around, feeling a bit stunned.
Was it because of… Gu Chenshi?
But she distinctly remembered Lin Ranran once proudly declaring that she would remain a queen on her pedestal forever, never letting so-called men affect her mood.
Yet now…
Lin Ranran had been off all morning. Could it also be related to Gu Chenshi?
They had been fine just yesterday, but today they were ignoring each other. What was going on?
Something must have happened after they left last night.
And it must have been serious, otherwise Gu Chenshi, who doted on her so much, wouldn’t have gone this long without reaching out to her.
Sometimes, Jing Shu really didn’t understand Lin Ranran.
Gu Chenshi was truly great—handsome, good-tempered, patient, a decent student, and his character was beyond reproach.
His sincerity toward Lin Ranran was obvious to everyone.
If a guy treated her like that, Jing Shu knew she’d definitely fall for him.
Even if he wasn’t her type, she wouldn’t keep him hanging in an ambiguous relationship like Lin Ranran did.
Maybe Lin Ranran was just used to being the center of attention, spoiled and arrogant.
Even if Gu Chenshi exhausted his patience and left, she wouldn’t care.
But how to explain her sudden, inexplicable anger just now?
After a moment’s hesitation, Jing Shu decided to meddle for once, considering they were all friends.
She quickened her pace and caught up to Gu Chenshi.
They were all classmates and knew each other fairly well.
After greeting him, Jing Shu hesitated before saying, “Gu Chenshi, Ranran suddenly said she wasn’t hungry anymore halfway there and went back to the classroom.”
When she got no response from Gu Chenshi, she thought he hadn’t heard and was about to repeat herself when Gu Chenshi smiled and said, “Her matters have nothing to do with me anymore. Please don’t bother telling me such trivial things in the future.”
Jing Shu was stunned.
How could anything involving Lin Ranran be considered trivial?
Zhou Xiangyu, meanwhile, silently gave Gu Chenshi another big thumbs-up in his mind.
That’s my bro, decisive as ever!
He had long been fed up watching his good friend grovel for some so-called love. Wouldn’t gaming be way more fun than chasing girls?
Jing Shu stammered, “But… aren’t you afraid Ranran will ignore you from now on?”
Gu Chenshi countered, “Does it matter whether she ignores me or not?”
Jing Shu was left speechless.
Didn’t it matter?
“But… you really like Ranran, don’t you?”
Gu Chenshi fell silent.
Anyone with eyes could see he liked Lin Ranran.
Wasn’t Lin Ranran smart enough to know that too?
If she didn’t like him, she could have rejected him outright or given him a gentle hint. Why make him feel there was a chance?
And then toss the gift he’d carefully prepared into the trash like it was garbage!
If he hadn’t seen Lin Ranran throwing something into the trash bin at the back of the crowd with his own eyes, he would never have believed that the girl he liked would do such a thing.
Perhaps she had hinted at it, but he was just too foolish to notice…
So who was to blame? He was to blame for liking someone he shouldn’t have liked.